Bill Cullen

Game Show Host

Born: 18 February 1920

Died: 7 July 1990 (lung cancer)

Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Best known as:

The game show host with the horn-rimmed glasses

Bill Cullen's profession was game shows, and he was well-known as both a host and celebrity panelist. Bill Cullen hosted his first quiz show in 1946, the radio program Winner Take All. He went on to appear on two dozen different game shows from the 1950s through the 1980s, including Name That Tune, Eye Guess, To Tell the Truth and The $25,000 Pyramid. He was the original host of The Price Is Right (where he was later succeeded by Bob Barker) and was a longtime panelist on I've Got A Secret, hosted by Garry Moore. Bill Cullen's physical signatures were his horn-rimmed glasses and crewcut (though he later grew out the hair), and his cheerful low-ego style made him an enduring favorite with game show aficionados.

Extra credit:

Bill Cullen had polio as a child and walked with a slight limp... An avid flyer, he earned his pilot's license at age 15.